Severe storms strike Queensland

It has been a cool and wet day in central Queensland as severe storms affect parts of the state.

A low pressure trough, abundant moisture and an unstable atmosphere provided the perfect mix of ingredients for rain and storms in central Queensland on Tuesday.

At 3pm local time, a severe thunderstorm warning was in place for damaging winds, heavy rain and large hail - the severe storm trifecta - in parts of the state's central inland.

After reaching a high of 27 degrees shortly after 7:30am on Tuesday, the temperature in Roma hovered around 17-18 degrees between 9am and 3pm due to cloud and rain. This is about 15 degrees below average for this time of year.

Roma's 38mm of rain between 9am and 3pm was its heaviest fall since early December.

Further west, an intense storm produced a wind gust of 96km/h at Charleville earlier this afternoon, along with a temperature drop of 10 degrees in half an hour.

A well-aimed morning storm brought welcome rain to parched Townsville, with 15mm falling in 10 minutes and a wind gust of 83km/h registered at the airport. Townsville hasn't registered a wetter-than-average month since October.

Potentially severe thunderstorms will continue across parts of Queensland into this evening and further storms will develop, most likely about the state's central and northern districts.

Keep up to date with the latest warnings here: http://www.weatherzone.com.au/warnings.jsp